Land officials in Vedic plot,admits Mollah

A departmental inquiry into the controversial Vedic Village land grab case revealed that a section of land department officials had violated the rules and procedures to favour the Vedic Village authorities.

A departmental inquiry into the controversial Vedic Village land grab case revealed that a section of land department officials had violated the rules and procedures to favour the Vedic Village authorities.

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The department has now ordered further inquiry to find out the names of the employees involved so that action can be taken against them.

In the face of criticism for his alleged association with Vedic Village owner Raj Kishore Modi,Land and Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah had ordered an inquiry to find out the conversion and mutation (changing title of the land deed) status of the lands purchased by Modi to set up an IT hub and township.

Initially,Mollah had tried to blame the IT department for the controversy as it had signed an agreement with a firm owned by Modi for acquiring land.

The ruling CPM,however,was unhappy with Mollahs explanation and ordered an inquiry to know how land

purchased at gun-point had been regularised.

One month after the inquiry was ordered,Mollah today admitted that a section of officers and employees worked for Modi and his agents. Before the final report I cannot comment. I have asked the department to find out names of the employees involved,then only action can be taken against them, said Mollah.

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Land department sources said that the report had arrived at the Writers Buildings last week. It hinted that a section of officials of Bhangar Block Land and Revenue Officers (BLRO) office had converted agricultural land without prior permission from the district magistrate,which is mandatory. Moreover,some plots were identified which are vested with the government and cannot be purchased by anyone as these had been distributed to landless people. The BLRO office even avoided field inquiry before mutation ().